Improvement in turbine water-wheels



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J. W. UPHAM,`0F WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

Lette/rs Patent N 91,691, dated .Tu-ne 22,1869. y

IMPROVEMENT INUTURBINE' WATER-WHEELS'.

The Schedule referred to in these-Letters Patent al1-1d making of the saine.

To 'all whom it may conce/m Be it known that I, J.,W.SUPHAM, 'of the cityaml county of Worcester, and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Imy provements in later-Wheels, of which the following.

is a full, clear, and exact description, reference .being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofl of the wheel broken a`\vay,\several of the buckets and unter-guides being shown-in section, as will be here- 4 after explained.

To enable those skilled in the art to which my invention belongs, to make and 'ns'e,the"same, I willA describe it more in detail.

The nature of my invention consists in the combination of adjustable inner water-guides with station- .ary outer water-guides, as hereafter explained.

A is the upper casing, and y v I B, the lower casing ofthe wheel C, which is secured to the shaft in the usual manner. 1

Between the upper and lower rims of the wheel are fitted the buckets E. l

Tater is admitted to the bucketsfE, between the stationary outer guide-pieces F, andthe inner adjustable guide-pieces G, the latter being fitted to turn on journals (l, which {it-in holes in the upper and lower rims of the casing ofthe wheel.

The centre of theiadj ustable' guides G, projects outward, as shown in iig. 2, which not only gives strength to the guides, but also enables 'thejournals a to be arrangedont as fanas'possible.

The upper ends of the journals a are made so as to project through the upper casing, to receive the slotted armsH;"\vhich straddle the pins b in the movable ring I, arranged to turn on the rim of the casing-part A.

By reference to the drawings, lg. 2, it will be seen that the water-spaces c, between Athe 'guide-pieces F v G, can lbe narrowed at pleasure, by simply turning the ring I, to which all lthe journals a., of the adjustable waterlguides G, are attached.

Ring I may be turned in any convenient manner,

It' maybe" connected by arms to a central tube on shaft D, or it may be provided with a rack, to be'opverated by a gear or worm-screw, on the end of a shaft.

The great advantages of my present improvements, consist in the facility with which `the water-ways or channels c, can be contracted or enlarged, to admit less or morefwater to the buckets E, as occasion may re- Aqure, andf"that, too, .without changing the direction' .of the water which impinges upon the outer part of the buckets.

The inner faces ofthe water-guide pieces F, can be made in 'the form calculated to couveythe water to the buckets,.to produce vthe best effect, and is not changed when the water-spaces are contracted, the contraction being from the inside.,

`'lhe water-guides G being nearly balanced by the Water, can be easily operated, to adj ust them to admit more or'less water, or even closed. (See redrand blue lines in fig. 2,-asan illustration of the manner in which the water-'guides G can bev adj usted.)

Ring I is provided with a notch, e, to fit the stop f,

whereby its motion in either direction is so limited as not to injure the water-guides YG, by being moved too A far in either direction. Y

vOnly two` slotted arms are shown in the drawings,A

combined with journals a, of the water-guidev pieces G', as they aresufficientto-illustrate the manner in which `'all the latter are to be constructed and arranged.

Having described my improvements in water-wheels, What I claim therein as new and of my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,y is The adjustable inner water-guide pieces G, in cornbiuation withthe stationary water-guide pieces F, substantially as and'for the purposes set forth.

` J. W. UPHAM.

Witnesses Tues., H. DODGE,

D. L. MILLER. 

